UNITY IN THE CHURCH

The Purpose For Unity

John 17:20–26 NLT

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Unity is something that you know when it’s present….and you know when it’s absent.

When there is unity, everything run smoothly and more gets accomplished, but when there’s division and lack of unity, all you have is chaos and confusion.

Unity and reconciliation are a hot-button issues in our culture today. As a church, we know we are supposed to be united across denominational and racial lines. However ,we often find it difficult to accomplish this unity.

Deidre Riggs- explains that in order to achieve unity we must understand what unity really means and what unity is designed to achieve. She emphasizes that unity is not the same thing as sameness.

“Unity is not me trying to make you like me. God is not calling us to do that. The reason God calls us to unity is so that the world will know Jesus was sent by God because of God’s great love for us.”

God doesn’t want us united under His banner just for the sake of unity. He wants us united so that we can share the most important message of all with the world.

if the church could figure out how to come together and be one in the world, the world would look and see something supernatural and that’s how they would know that Jesus was sent by God.

2. How Do We Work For Unity In The Church

Romans 14:19 NLT

So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Do you want to become an agent of harmony and unity in your church? If so, the first step is this: Focus on what you have in common with the other Christians, rather than your differences.

When you concentrate, you focus and give something your full attention. You don’t casually concentrate; it’s intentional. As a Christian, you can choose to concentrate on commonalities— the things that create harmony and unity in the body of Christ.

What are the commonalities you share with your brothers and sisters?

Ephesians 4:4–6 NLT

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

We are one body - Jesus Doesn’t have multiple bodies.. He just has the church!

We share one Spirit- we all have been given the same Holy Spirit at salvation.

We share one hope- we share the hope of the second coming of Jesus. He didn’t stay dead. He was resurrected, went back to heaven, and promised to return.

We have one lord- we don’t worship multiple gods.

We have one faith- Our faith is contained in one book, the Bible

We have one baptism- we don’t have to be re-baptized every time we sin.

We have one God- he knows all things,sees all things,and is with us all the time.

As members of God’s family we also share in the same salvation, the same forgiveness, the same grace, the same mercy, in the same future. These factors are far more important than your gender or race, your shape or size, your economic status, your background, your sins, or anything else.

Even while you focus on the seven big things in Ephesians, don’t forget that God didn’t just give you things in common with other people in your church. He also made your differences.

God chose to give people different personalities and equipped each person with different gifts. You can unite around the foundation of the Gospel, while you also value and learn from all the ways God made you unique.

Conclusion

Our unity is God’s family, the church, is our greatest witness to unbelievers. More than ever, people need to see that unity is possible, and is found in the church. It is our responsibility to lay down our pride in our preferences so we can focus on God‘s purpose. Our love for one another will show the world we belong to Jesus and be a testimony of power of Christ to transform lives.